Court fines ‘clampdown’: More than 70 vehicles clamped, seized in a single day
A “clampdown” on court fines has shifted into overdrive with more than 70 vehicles clamped or seized across New Zealand in one day.
Dozens of bailiffs were sent on a blitz this week as the Ministry of Justice stepped up efforts to nab debtorswho hadn’t paid court-issued fines.
They hit the streets of cities and towns on Wednesday with automatic number plate recognition technology.
The handheld devices replaced manual processes in July 2025 to more efficiently identify vehicle owners with outstanding court fines.
The machines have so far helped the courts recover $4.2 million in outstanding fines.
The technology has sped up what was once a manual phone-based process to confirm if a vehicle is owned by a person with fines or reparations.
Ministry of Justice figures show more than 400 vehicles have been seized, 750 clamped and 185 sold at auction since the devices were introduced.
No vehicles have been destroyed to date, according to the figures.
On Wednesday, 38 bailiffs were paired up and deployed across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Hastings, Napier and Taupō.
The ministry’s acting group manager for court services Robert Ives said 9198 number plates were scanned and 224 people with overdue court fines or reparation were identified.
Eleven vehicles were seized, 64 clamped and 113 warnings issued.
Thirty-six people paid their fines on the spot with more than $34,000 collected on the day.
Ives said the day’s dollar figures are still being tallied, with more to come from clamped and seized vehicles and payment arrangements.
A warrant, which is issued by a court deputy registrar and executed by a bailiff, is required to seize or clamp a vehicle.
If debtors cannot make payment arrangements, their car may be clamped or towed away to be sold, Ives said.
Bailiffs working in Christchurch during the operation told NZME they generally head out daily to scan vehicles across the city.
Each bailiff is equipped with a stab-proof vest, body camera, mobile alarm device, cellphone and dog repellent.
In the South Island, there are two bailiffs based in Nelson, four in Christchurch, one in Dunedin and one in Invercargill.
Some of them work alongside police on weekends in more targeted operations.
One of them said the technology had made their jobs easier.
“Before this it was door knocking.”
‘Pay your court fines’
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said this week the day-long blitz followed a Government crackdown on vehicle clamping and seizures.
“The message to those who owe money is simple – pay your court fines, or you may be walking home.”
So far, court bailiffs have scanned more than 275,000 number plates and identified more than 7300 people with overdue court fines or reparations.
Of those, 1360 people paid on the spot while 560 made payment arrangements.
The rest were either issued warnings or no action was taken because of their situation, Ives said.
Al Williams is an Open Justice reporter for the New Zealand Herald, based in Christchurch. He has worked in daily and community titles in New Zealand and overseas for the last 16 years. Most recently he was editor of the Hauraki-Coromandel Post, based in Whangamatā. He was previously deputy editor of the Cook Islands News.
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